Europe Immigration News

The number of Irish work permits for non-EU citizens in 2016 is set to reach a new record, according to new figures. In 2015, some 7,353 work permits were issued, enabling foreign workers from outside of the European Union to work in Ireland. It's believed that the number of Irish work visas that will be granted in 2016 will be higher still and exceed 9,000.

According to a report published by the Irish Times, Tusla – the Irish Government's Child and Family Agency in Ireland – is looking to recruit social workers from the UK and Canada. Canadian citizens will need work visas. British citizens can work freely in Ireland. The recruitment drive comes as the agency looks to fill 102 job vacancies to tackle a backlog of child protection cases in Ireland.

In his first ever interview with the French media, Donald Trump has waded into the European Union's immigration debate, declaring that immigration could signal the 'end of Europe.' Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the US Presidency, is infamous for his views on US immigration.

A jointly compiled report published on 4 February 2016 by international recruitment agency, Hays and the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) found that just 38 per cent of Irish SMEs believe they can compete with multinational companies in the recruitment of highly-skilled individuals. The findings have led to calls from SMEs for the country's work permit system to be changed so that if they cannot hire the skilled workers they need locally they can more easily hire people from outside of the EU.

Migration Watch – an organisation that lobbies for stricter UK immigration controls – continues to spread anti-immigration propaganda. Migration Watch says that leaving the European Union would cut UK immigration numbers by 100,000.

The group estimates that net migration from the EU – which is the difference between the number of people entering and exiting the UK – would drop from 180,000 to 65,000 per year if the nation were to introduce work permits for EU citizens.

A recent study by Ireland's Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says that Ireland is ahead of most European Member States in 'linking labour market intelligence to migration policy.' The new study by ESRI found that the Irish work permit system performs well in adapting to skills shortages and skills surpluses.